Warren
by katsuji74
Summary: What is the apocalypse, if not a means of realizing your true self? Thrust into a world of death, betrayal, and uncertainty, Lawrence fits in just perfectly.


_This is slightly AU, but is mostly Canon to the story. First takes place at the beginning of the Cordyceps Brain Infection outbreak, then later on, at the same time of the story._

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Lawrence Henry Anholt IV was, from a young age, a strange, _strange _man. Diagnosed with Anti-Social Behavior and Psychopathy at the age of seven, everyone steered clear of the brown haired, green eyed kid who always studied by himself. He never showed the same interests as the children around him, and he never acted without a reason. Lawrence focused on efficiency, quality, and speed when he did anything. People called him heartless behind his back, all efficiency and calculating and no emotion or feelings. That isn't to say that it's true. He does have things that he loves or cares about, and the thing he held closest to his heart is his family. Kyler Madison Anholt, his little sister, was especially close to him, and the only person he would actually smile or talk openly with, though he still rarely does so. His parents and him were close and loved each other fiercely, but there was always a certain distance that came from not being their true son. Lawrence was, in fact, an adopted child, but that didn't stop his adoptive parents from loving him like he was their own.

Kyler was almost the exact opposite of Lawrence, all smiles and laughs, and filled to the brim with compassion, kindness, and caring. She always saw the good in people, even when it was so small that others denied it existed. She also brought out the best in people, making even the meanest, toughest bully melt in her hands and renounce teasing others forever. People often called the pair, "Beauty & the Beast." Kyler didn't like how people treated her brother, but she kept her peace out of respect of her brother's decision for her to not pursue the matter further. Kyler hated to see people making fun of others, but hated it when people made fun of her brother even more so.

Lawrence also had a set of morals, and one of the most important ones to him was that strength shouldn't be used to take advantage of the weak. He felt that strength had to be used as a means to help the weak realize their potential, or lack thereof. An incident which changed how people viewed him came about when he was only ten. A large sixth grade repeater and his gang of goons were teasing a young studious girl who wore large, circular glasses and always tied her hair in braids. The stereotypical bookworm. As Lawrence exited the classroom to head to recess at the bell, he saw her cornered against the nearest lockers on wall outside the classroom with about six or seven larger kids shouting names and shoving her back and forth, laughing the whole time. The repeater finally decided that they had had enough fun, getting to the real reason they cornered her. "Alright, _bookworm_," the boy said, laying stress on the word "bookworm" as if it were an insult, "give me that fancy iPad of yours, or I pull your hair out." While he spoke, he gripped her braids in one hand, holding her by the neck with the other as she tried to pry his hands off of her. The bully had been raised to be a boxer since he could lift his fist, and he knew how much pressure to squeeze her neck without choking her to death. She gasped feebly, trying to protest and plead to be released. As she continued to make no move to hand over her bag, the bully began squeezing tighter until her face was beginning to turn different shades of blue.

That was when Lawrence stepped in. He had been watching silently, waiting until he found the right moment to intervene. As the bully became more focused on the girl, he dropped her braids and had put both hands on her neck. Lawrence struck.

From a young age, his mother and father, both writers and actors and master level martial artists (to protect themselves from overzealous fans), had taught Lawrence their moves, so that he would be able to protect him and his sister, even if they weren't there. So, Lawrence was quite the adept at combat, and he knew where to land the first blow. Nobody had noticed Lawrence quietly getting behind the big kid, and didn't have enough time to react when Lawrence attacked. His first blow was a roundhouse kick to the bully's side, just underneath the ribs. The large kid was launched to the side, gagging from the searing pain shooting through his side to his spine. Before the bully had even fallen, Lawrence shot two fast punches to his left and right, both fists finding their mark at two of the bully's throats. They both fainted from the pain, clutching their already bruising necks as they collapsed, and only three were left. They had seen what had happened to their friends, and were about to turn and run when Lawrence continued his attack. He started out with a scything sweep, crouching and spinning backwards with his left leg extended, swiping the bullies' feet from under them. One of them landed on their head and fainted with that, the other two slamming painfully on their backs. Before they could get up, Lawrence pulled off a downward axe kick right into the closest's stomach, causing him to gag and writhe in pain underneath Lawrence's heel. He mounted the last bully, slamming unsophisticated downward punches straight at the kid's face.

He didn't let up, even when the teachers arrived. He continued to attack the bullies, breaking bones and dislocating joints with fast attacks. The girl had run in horror, calling for the teachers to stop Lawrence. When they got there, the bullies were bloody and broken, their breaths uneven and filled with pain. Lawrence was standing over them, his right fist dripping blood from where it had cut one of the kids' faces with a punch. Lawrence didn't resist the teachers as they subdued him, the school nurse quickly performing first aid while another teacher called the police.

Now the other kids starting calling him "monster" and "demon" behind his back, and even his sister was slightly scared by the event. But she had seen from start to finish what had happened, and knew that he hadn't done what he had without reason. Whether or not he had overdone it was another matter. Still, with this event, the amount of cases of bullying in the school dropped drastically, even if everybody was too busy to notice it.

This event showed Lawrence's "No Mercy" policy, and people tread carefully around him. He didn't mind, though. It saved him the trouble of asking them to leave him alone. His swift and uncompromising actions would suit him well in the days to come.


End file.
